A Guide on How to Begin Writing and How to Improve Along the Way

There are many people that love to write but choose not to because they feel their writing skills are not good enough. "Good" writing is almost all about a persons' opinion, and some people prefer one writing style over another. One of my best English professors taught me that the best writers learn writing by the rules and then learn how to break them. In other words, grammar, punctuation, descriptions and other topics are all important to learn, and once you learn them you can mold your writing technique to your own personal style.

Writing is a learned process. Very few are naturally good writers, and a majority has something they need to work on or become better at. There are a number of ways to improve your writing skills over time, and you can become the writer that you dream you could be.

Freestyle Writing
This is when you just let the writing flow. You write whatever you are thinking about and work on the details later if you choose to. This is a great way to start any writing process from stories and articles to poetry and even music lyrics. Remember this is not about perfection, it is about expression.

Just write!
When going through the beginning steps of writing use the method that is most comfortable for you. Keep in mind there is no wrong way to write, and everything can be corrected. The more you write the more you will learn about the writing process and your own personal writing style. Keep in mind writing is like learning any other skill - the more you practice the better you will become.

Remember you can write anywhere. You do not have to keep a journal or a book of your writing, but if you write often enough this is the best way to keep all your ideas together. This book will also become a great source of inspiration for future pieces of work and it will grow with you as you become more experienced. Also, it will show your progress and perpetual improvement as a writer, which can be very inspiring especially if you feel like you are "stuck" or have writers block.

Creation Process
If you are looking to create a more completed piece of writing, you need to take your freestyle writing or notes and start to shape them. Take your notes and put them into a paragraph format remembering that it is not, and will not be perfect at this stage. The goal is to create a rough draft that will eventually turn into a final copy.

Proofread
If you are writing something for class, publishing, or a personal piece of work, keep in mind nothing is worse than something that does not't make sense. After the rough draft is written it is time for a rewrite. Make sure ideas flow smoothly from one to another, the sentences make sense, and your grammar is correct. Any corrections needed should be made at this point before moving onto the next stage of writing. Chances are there will be a number or rewrites and repeated proof reading until you feel your creation is complete. Also, learn the rules of writing - this will make your skills stronger and make your writing more fluid.

Spell Check
Other than a poorly written piece, another huge mistake is an article with spelling errors. If it has not been done already, it is time to transfer the article onto the computer and have it do the checking for you. Make sure your mistakes are being replaced with the correct word - the computer may find mistakes but the corrections it chooses may not be right. After this stage is complete, review the article again and verify all the corrections.

Final Read-through and Submission
If you choose to submit your work, reread your writing one last time and if someone else is available let them read it too. Feedback from others is one of the easiest ways to make improvements because they will catch mistakes that you will not. As you read, check for any errors and if you need to step away for awhile. Once you are refreshed, you will have a new perspective on what you are working on. The most heartbreaking mistake for any writer is finding an error after a piece of writing is submitted. (The best example I can give of this kind of situation is when you are writing for your blog or a paper for class.) No one may ever know you made a mistake, but it will bother you because you know it is there.

The most important thing out of this whole experience is to at least try your hand at it. Writing even just for yourself will give you personal insight on things you have never though of before. Learning more will only help you grow.